Water-wheel bucket



J. B. PITCHPORD.. WATER WHEEL BUCKET.

(No Model.)

Paten iged Nov. 1, 1892.

UNITE STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JOHN B. PITCI-IFORD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

WATER-WHEEL BUCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,477, dated November1, 1892.

Application filed October 19, 1891. Serial No. 409,123. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. PITCHFORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements inWVater-Wheel Buckets; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of said invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains tomake, use, and practice the same.

My invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements inwater -wheel buckets, and more particularly to that class known as-hurdy-gurdy wheels, which derive their power from an impact stream orcolumn of water delivered against the buckets secured to the peripherythereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth in the drawings anddescribed and pointed out in the specification.

Practical use has demonstrated the fact that a large per cent. of therotary force or power of the wheels is lost by reason of the fact thatthe front of the buckets are so constructed as to come in contact withthe impact stream during rotation of the Wheel, thus extracting apartial force of rotation, inasmuch as the face of the bucket mustnecessarily force its way through the impacting stream before receivingthe same therein in order to impart rotation to the wheel, which contactwit-h the solid water stream obviously detracts from the rotary force ofthe wheel, thus not fully gaining the entire driving power of the impactstream.

The object of my invention is to so construct the bucket as to allow forthe complete utilization of the impact stream by providing against thebucket-face coming into contact with the propelling-jet, consequentlygaining the now loss per cent. of power, and, further, in soconstructing the rear wall as to permit of the perfect centering of thebucket upon the wheel-periphery, so that the apex of the bucket will bein true line with the peripherycenter of the wheel, consequentlyinsuring perfect centering of one bucket to the other, thereby bringingeach in true line with one another. If perfect centering of the bucketsto each other be not obtained on the wheelperiphery, the impacting jetor stream naturally does not strike the true apex of the bucket and thefull driving power or force of the stream is not obtained. These twofeapact stream, so as not to divert partial driving force thereof.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification, whereinsimilar letters of reference denote corresponding partsthroughout theentire specification and several views, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a waterwheel provided with my improved bucket; Fig. 2, a detail viewof the bucket removed from the wheel, and Fig. 3 a rear view inelevation.

The letter A indicates the water-wheel proper, the periphery A of whichinclines from the center ridge a, thus forming approximately incross-section a V shaped periphery. To said wheel is suitably securedthe buckets B, the rear walls of which-are formed so as to correspondwith the wheel-periphery, the center ridge of which bears against thecenter I) of the rear wall B, thus insuring perfect centering of thebucket when secured to the wheel. The rear wall is approximatelyV-shaped. The bucket has its bottom formed'into two curves C C, whichmeet in the central apex D, united to the rear wall B, the inner face ofwhich inclines in accordance with the outer face thereof. The sides E Erun at an incline from top to bottom and are united by the front wall E.This wall is cut away, as shown at e 6, so as to bring the front wall ofthe curved bottoms below the apex D, thus providing against unduecontact with the impact stream-that is to say,I narrow or lessen thecontacting-surface to the minimum amount of metal and at the same timepreserve the requisite metal for discharge of the apex D, which is notsufficient interference to detract from rotation of wheel; but, as abovestated, I preserve sufficient width of metal to allow for the dischargeof the utilized water, as shown at 6'. By inclining the rear wall of thebuckets the rear walls of the curved bottoms are inclined, which allowsfree action to be given the utilized water within the sections. It willbe observed that the apex D and center I) of the inclined rear wall arein true line. Consequently when the bucket is secured to the wheel theapex and center of wheel-periphery will be perfectly centered. Byinclining the periphery of the wheel from the center and rear wall ofthe bucket likewise I am enabled to secure each bucket in true line witheach other and to the wheel-periphery without minute adjustment.

Inasmuch as the reactory flow or stream is not so solid as the impactstream or wall of water, but spreads itself more, it is necessary thatthe discharge-walls of the sections be enlarged. Consequently while thefront wall of the bucket is cut away, so as to bring the same below theapex D, in order to overcome contact with the impact streamduringrotation of wheel and prevent undue resistance to the movement thereof Istill preserve suffi cient width at point e of the front wall to al lowfor the perfect discharge of the reactory in by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. A water-wheel bucket having a V-shaped rear wall, a front wall cutaway on each side of its central line, and curved bottoms connectingsaid front and rear walls.

2. A water-wheel bucket having front and rear walls and curved bottomsconnecting the same, the said bottoms meeting in a central apex andhaving their outer ends extended to form discharge-walls, the rear wallbeing V-shaped and the front walls being cut away adjacent to the saidcentral apex.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN B. PITCIIFORD.

Witnesses:

N. A. ACKER, J. W; KEYS.

